


Of Ghosts and Spiders

by Paycheckgurl



Category: Danny Phantom, Marvel 616, Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Gen, Newly updated chapter after like five years, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, originally posted in 2012
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-31 21:03:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12141081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paycheckgurl/pseuds/Paycheckgurl
Summary: When Peter follows Mary Jane to Amity Park for a movie shoot, he meets a ghost boy he has more than a little in common with. Unfortunately certain members of their rouges gallery have more than a little in common as well...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on fanfiction.net in 2012, and newly updated with a brand new chapter today. Boy, oh boy is that promise not to let this turn into a dead fic below brimming with irony. And Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark left Broadway years ago now...so yeah. How's that for a dated joke?
> 
> Original author's note: My first fanfic to have an actual plot, my first crossover, and my first third person fic. Huzah! The idea for this came from amusing myself by listing all the ways Danny Phantom was inspired by the Spider-Man franchise and wondering what it would be like if Danny and Peter ever sat down and compared notes. As for the timeline/universe of this fic, it's set very loosely in the main 616 Spider-Man comics during the time Peter and MJ were married and before Phantom Planet using the "they've always been in the same universe and have just never met" crossover convention. Also some "comic book time" is in play, meaning Tucker has a smart phone instead of a PDA, websites like Facebook have been invented and the year is 2012, but the story still takes place during the timeline of the show. However you shouldn't need to know that to enjoy this. Warning: updates may or may not be slow and/or sporadic depending on what my schedule ends up being, although I will never let this turn into a dead fic.

Peter Parker, underpaid high school science teacher, even more underpaid freelance photographer, and unpaid, underappreciated superhero crawled into the bedroom he shared with his wife, Mary Jane through the window. His nightly patrol of New York City had been relatively uneventful, although the usual would be muggers, robbers, and one delusion D list "super"-villain had ensured it wasn't a complete waste of time. Especially since he had (or rather the auto-shutter on his camera had) managed to get a few good shots for The Bugle (that would undoubtedly appear under a headline like "Most Useless Member of the New 'Avengers' Proves Incompetent" or the classic "Spider-Menace Threatens Innocent Citizens"). But a paycheck was a paycheck and after all these years he couldn't help but feel a weird sense loyalty to J. Jonah Jameson, defamation and all. Maybe that exclusive freelance contract he signed with him all those years ago had finally caused something akin to Stockholm-Syndrome in him.

As Peter made his way in, he noticed Mary Jane was sitting up on the bed with a large grin her face. Once he had made it through the window she made her way over and embraced him, peeled his mask up to his nose and planted a kiss on his face. After a few moments she released his lips and the grin returned to hers.

"Well hello to you to," said Peter.

"You'll never guess what happened today!" she exclaimed.

"Fox revived  _Firefly_?" asked Peter in his usual jocular tone as he peeled the rest of the mask up off his face.

Mary Jane, MJ as she was known to her friends, laughed while shaking her head and then moving a strand of her long red hair behind her ear. "No, but you're in entertainment, so you're warm."

"That stupid musical based off of me finally left Broadway?"

"Nope, and sorry Tiger, that monstrosity has to stick around for at least seven years to break even…and considering how much everyone likes going to it to see if it's actually as bad as they say or to see another stunt double fall, well, it'll probably be the next  _Phantom of the Opera_  in terms of ticket sales. Let us all mourn the loss of quality Broadway shows."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Alright so what's your news?"

"Well, a certain actress has been cast in the soon-to-start-production horror-thriller,  _Voices of The Dead_."

"Jennifer Aniston?"

"No," she punched his arm, "me!"

"MJ that's great!" He meant it, after all the trouble and hardships Mary Jane had had to endure over the years it was about time some good started coming her way. But then Peter remembered something, "but what about your play?"

She sighed, "Well it's had a good run and the reviews have been good, but it's set to close in a week. And I've been looking through scripts, but truth be told, there's really no characters that fit me in anything that's casting right now. Plus with summer vacation coming up for you, we're going to need the money (god knows Jameson alone won't cover us), and short of making the jump from off Broadway to on (which granted, I want to do someday, but it's not going to happen overnight) theatre isn't going to pay the bills like good 'ole Hollyweird will right now. But don't worry," she clarified "this won't be like the  _Lobster Man_ thing where I'll be in LA for months. It's a small part and the director's famous for getting through shoots quickly so at most, it will take two weeks."

"Huh. So when do you leave?"

"Well see it turns out shooting will be on location in the Midwest (supposedly the town we'll be in is actually haunted) and, this is the cool part, during the same time Midtown High has their spring break," She then smiled seductively. "If Spider-Man can manage get one of his superhero buddies to cover for him for a few days, maybe a Mister Parker can accompany me for part of the shooting." She batted her eye lashes.

"Why Miss Watson-Parker, are you propositioning me?" teased Peter.

"Why yes Tiger, I believe I am."

"You do realize I'm a married man."

"I don't think your wife will mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure, seeing as how she's about to place a call for two tickets to Amity Park."

"Wait,  _Amity,_ as in  _Amityville Horror_ and the town from  _Jaws_?" asked Peter, distracted from their previous line of teasing "If this place is haunted I say they were asking for it."

They both laughed. Maybe this will be a normal, super-villain free vacation for once, thought Peter. Unfortunately for him, it never was.

* * *

Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, and Danny Fenton sat in their usual booth at the local teen hangout, The Nasty Burger. It was a typical day for them; hunting ghosts across town, trapping them in a thermos, and trying to keep the secret that Danny was the half ghost superhero known Danny Phantom from his pro-ghost dissection, ghost hunting parents.

"Oh meaty, goodness you get better every minute," cooed Tucker at his burger.

"Tell that to the cow they made that out of," said Sam with biting sarcasm as she played with her salad.

"Okay, okay, guys. Let's not have this fight for gazillionth. Back in your corners now."

"He/she started it!" the two said in unison.

They were an odd group, all social outcasts for their own reasons. Tucker because of his love of technology and ability to freak out every single girl in a five mile radius, Danny because of his parent's embarrassing antics (both ghost related and not) and his ghost powered induced clumsiness, and Sam due not wanting to be associated with the snobs that made up her tax bracket and her gothic sense of style. Although recently things had been looking up for them, both Danny and Tucker had dated the formerly popular Valerie and the beautiful Paulina had started paying attention to Danny (even if it was only because she loved his alter ego and noticed Phantom seemed to show up around Fenton). Best of all, Danny Phantom was finally not being branded as menace by most of the town. People were starting to call him a hero, even comparing him to guys like Spider-Man in the east. Sure, the Fentons still wanted to shoot him with their latest ecto-guns, but it was  _something_.

Suddenly Tucker's smart phone began to buzz.

"Guys you'll never guess!" he exclaimed.

"Um they brought back that geek show you like,  _Firefly?_ " tried Sam.

"My sister finally realized she should stop psychoanalyzing us?" tried Danny.

"Nope, and you do realize that's never going happen," replied Tucker.

Jazz, if nothing else, meant well but her attempts to help her "ghost getters" as she called them, through her "phycology training" could be a more than a little annoying at times. Although, thought Danny, it was better than before she was in on the secret and was convinced he had self-esteem issues. And she did hit Freakshow's Ghost Envy right on the nose that time. Maybe once she left for college and got some _real_ training she'd be less of a pain in the neck.

"Alright," said Sam "So what?"

"They're going to film a movie right here in Amity Park. And check out the female cast!" he said as proudly displayed their photos.

Danny's eyes went wide open. Sam sighed, "You're disgusting."

Suddenly Danny felt a chill come over him as his ghost sense went off.

"I am The Box Ghost!" declared a voice coming from a truck outside, delivering boxes of plastic utensils. "Beware!"

"And that's my cue." said Danny as he ran off. "Going Ghost!"

Beyond the reoccurring joke of a villain that was The Box Ghost, a more sinister villain watched his pray intently as did his mysterious benefactors whom he provided with a live feed.

"Mister Masters," said an unknown man from the shadows "This may be the start of a beautiful friendship." A psychotic, high pitched laugh filled the Wisconsin mansion from which they watched.


	2. Chapter 2

A month later, Peter and MJ found themselves in what had to be the strangest town either of them had ever seen. It was, by all accounts, a small town, with one high school, a limited land area, and a cheery sign that declared it to be "a nice place to live". But then it also had the aesthetic of a large city full of skyscrapers, row houses, and one building that sported some sort mechanical contraption on top of it and a neon sign reading "Fenton Works" that struck even the two jaded New Yorkers. And as Peter was quick to point out, the high school was called _Casper_  High; if ghost did reside in Amity Park someone was  _really_  asking for it.

Their foray into sightseeing was cut short by an early shoot for MJ. They made their way to the temporary lot which currently occupied the local park and MJ was quickly whisked off to hair and makeup whilst Peter took his place amongst the spectators.

And oh, where there ever spectators. Beyond the official area where invited family, friends, press and currently unneeded cast and crew sat and ate the catered food, a mob of curious townspeople watched behind yellow barriers, Tucker, Sam, and The Fentons among them.

"Okay," said Danny as he examined what little he could see of the set "this is kind of cool."

Behind him his jumpsuit clad parents zoomed through the crowd with their latest ghost hunting equipment. Several annoyed onlookers stared at them with disdain. "But not that. There is no way that could ever be cool."

"Just smile and give people the impression you don't know them," whispered Jazz

"Hi sweeties!" called Maddie

Danny and Jazz found themselves face palming at the same time.

"Ha, ha, that's rough," said Sam with an insincere smirk.

"Stop the spread of horror films! Stop the corruption of youth!" called the unmistakable voices of Mr. and Mrs. Manson.

It was Danny turn to smirk, "You were saying?"

"You know," said Tucker, looking up from his phone screen finally, "I bet if we stick around after the crowd dies down a bit we could get closer…and meet some of these fine ladies!"

Everyone groaned. "STOP THE SPREAD OF HORROR FILMS!" called Mrs. Manson in the background

"Actually," said Sam quickly "It wouldn't hurt to try and get closer. Now. Let's go!"

Danny and Sam followed Tucker as they began pushing their way through the crowd. Jazz was about to sigh before she noticed her parents heading towards her position.

"WAIT FOR ME!" she called as loudly as she could.

* * *

"And Cut! Take five everybody!" Mary Jane quickly left the set and made her way to the refreshment table, keeping an eye out for Peter in the assembled sea.

True to the rumors, her director seemed to like things done fast and they were already ahead of schedule. As she went to grab a water bottle, she noticed four kids she hadn't seen before.

"Um, guys. I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to be here. We need to leave before we get in trouble. This is the kind of thing that might go on records, and the  _last_ thing you guys need." It was the girl with orange-red hair talking. MJ bit her lip a little as noticed her headband, which resembled one that was part of the trademark look of one Gwen Stacy. Even after all these years, it was hard not to be a little saddened by remembrances of her friend. (Osborn's last scheme, which had involved an attempt to throw MJ off the same bridge, certainly hadn't helped. Although, the part where she shot the bastard afterward had been satisfying-even if the Goblin Formula coursing through his veins guaranteed he was already back to one hundred percent health).

The boy with bushy black hair talked taking MJ out of her thoughts.

"Tucker, I can't believe I'm saying this but I think Jazz is right," he said "and so is the 'authorized personnel only' sign we passed."

"Oh come on," said Tucker, "that was just to scare paparazzi off. If they actually cared they'd have a security guy." He looked up, noticing MJ who was watching them.

"Why hello," he said "Tucker. Tucker Foley. "Would you be interested getting your wifi fixed followed by the dinner of your life?"

The others groaned behind him.

"Ignore him."

"Aw, that's sweet." laughed MJ. "Can I bring my husband too?"

Tucker's face deflated, while the others laughed. "He's somewhere in this crowd, oh hey, Tiger!" she called, finally getting a glimpse of him waving him down.

"Hey," said Peter making his way over and giving Mary Jane a peck on the cheek "I was just talking to Rob, the security guy. You'd think he be busy…"

"Yeah, weird." muttered the dark haired girl.

"We'd better get going." said the boy.

MJ noticed he began to stare distantly and shiver as he where cold despite the warm, spring weather; she could have sworn she saw his breath. Beside her she noticed her husband pull a familiar, alert face.

"I mean uh nice meeting you! Bye!" he called, running away with his friends in tow. MJ was no longer paying attention. She looked at Peter.

"Spidey sense tingling." he whispered in her ear.

"You bring the suit?" she whispered back

"Wearing it. Am I in the dog house for that?"

"What do you think Rover?" she said as she heard the director call for everyone to get ready and as Peter ran toward the impeding danger.

* * *

Danny wasted no time; the minute he was clear of the crowd and his parent's ghost detecting equipment, he turned into his ghostly alter ego with Jazz, Tucker, and Sam following closely behind on the ground, Phantom Thermos in tow.

Danny zoomed through the sky, searching for his target, or so he thought. Skulker, the self-declared greatest hunter of ghosts, stared at him, his suit shining and free of any signs of their last battle. According to Skulker, it was Danny Phantom whom was the target. But he wasn't making his move. He stood there, as if…bored? Danny tried to keep his thoughts from showing on his face. Why should I be concerned, anyway, he thought, Skulker's was usually kind of a joke.

"I have bigger concerns than fighting you, Welp." He said

"Says the guy that's spend every minute of the time we've known each other trying to mount me or whatever. Seriously dude, I think you might be slipping a bit. And you where were messed up to start with so…"

He smirked. "Fine then, I believe the words you're looking for are 'bring it on'."

Danny began shooting plasma blast with an intensity, then closing in with a series of punches and kicks. Strangely, Skulker didn't bother shooting missiles or rays back, but let him, protecting only select parts of his armor. Danny was just about to go for the final blow, releasing Skulker of the helmet of suit and allowing his true, weak ghostly form to be sucked into the Thermos, before Danny felt a sticky, glue like substance cover his arms, handcuff style from behind.

"I have no idea who you are, said his attacker, "But what did this guy do to you?"

Danny phased through the substance and turned around to see none other than the face of Spider-Man sticking to the window of the building next to him.

Sulker wasted no time, escaping, making sure to get footage of the impending scuffle, the holy grail of intel his benefactors were after.


	3. Chapter 3

Peter wanted to let an audible groan. He was in another part of the country, away from the hub of weirdness that was New York City, and of course his Spider Sense just had to go off. He just had to bring the stupid suit with him despite his desire to go on an actual vacation for once. He just had to stumble onto some white haired, floating kid beating the heck out of what was probably a want-to-be vigilante playing superhero in a bad suit. Darn Parker Luck, why did it follow him everywhere? And wait a minute, how did Floaty Kid manage to get out of that webbing? Did he have super strength? Oh well, when it doubt, fight it out and start spouting quips.

"What are you, anti-armor?" he started go in for a rapid punch "I happen to be a close, personal annoyance to Iron Man, and let me tell you beating up guys in suits that did nothing but try to defend themselves doesn't make them very popular with the suit wearing set."

The kid floated to the side, easily avoiding him. Peter leaped to the next building, aware of his tactical disadvantage. These building weren't in New York, he didn't have their layout memorized like he did the skyscrapers on the Manhattan grid and they were lower to the ground than he was comfortable with; he was flying blind. Combined with the fact his opponent was literally flying, it wasn't a good thing. No time to think, he told himself again, as the kid began to fly towards where Suit Guy had zoomed off to.

He squirted a webline attempted to bring Floaty closer to him, lassoing him and reeling him closer as if he were a fish on a line.

"Ye-haw!" called Spidey "Looks like we caught us a big one!"

Floaty, as Peter had dubbed him, phased through the line. He blinked attempting to let this new development sink in.

"Okay, I know an X-Girl that's going to sue for copy right over that."

"I so don't have time for this." Grumbled Floaty

Peter attempted get his arms around him, but to no anvil. The boy was determined to get away. He blasted of a ray from his palms pushing Peter back. Floaty then sped off, disappearing seemingly into thin air.

Peter swung towards the direction he thought he went. He closed his eyes, allowing the buzzing in the back of his head to be his guide. Buzzing. Danger. Floaty was going to reappear and make his move in an attempt to slow Spider-Man down. Floaty tried a kick. Spidey dodged acrobatically. No there was no way Spider-Man would win a fight like this. Not with an opponent he literally couldn't touch, but he could keep dodging. The funny thing about Peter was that despite his constant angsting he never actually gave in. He always kept dodging.

"Look!" shouted Floaty "You've got it all wrong!" Floaty shot another blast in another attempt to get Spider-Man to be still.

"Oh really?" Peter responded as he gracefully twisted to right in avoidance.

"You were beating up Armor Guy there; you're attempting to beat me up…"

"No stop, you're going to let him get away!"

"Yeah, that was the plan"

"Look  _he's_  the bad guy, not me! All he's ever done is endanger a rare species of gorilla and try to hunt me or whatever since we met! I mean seriously, look at him. If that's not a clichéd evil look right out of a comic book I don't know what is. I can prove it if you help me catch up to him…I'm honestly kind of a fan of yours."

Peter stopped, speechless (a state it was hard to render him in). He looked hard at the boy. He frowned beneath his mask realizing that for a scientist, he jumped to conulsions more than he was willing to admit. His Spider-Sense was still buzzing but it was faint. The danger wasn't right in from of him; it wasn't coming from the boy.

"You know, we might have just had a first meeting fight," admitted the webbed hero "they're kind of a tradition in New York."

"Seriously?" the boy asked, stopping dead in tracks

"I didn't say it was a good tradition! Alright let's track down Suit Guy and get his side of the story then. He have a name?"

"Skulker."

"As in a teenager that skulks in his room?"

"More like a supposed hunter that sucks at coming up with a decent name for himself. It's better than Ghost X which is what Ja…I mean an associate of mine likes to call him"

"Huh." responded Spider-Man, not wanting to let the unpleasantness that plagued his last encounter with a hunting themed villain rain out. Instead he pushed it to the back of his mind, continuing his previous line of questioning.

"So do you have a name, Floaty?" he asked

"Danny. Danny Phantom."

Now that he heard the name it sounded familiar. It was possible he'd heard news reports of Phantom, only to have them drowned about reports of bigger, A list heroes.

"Alright," said Spidey "So uh when you say Ghost X you mean that as in…a ghost. As in this town is actually haunted and all?"

"Oh yeah, that. Pretty much. I'm a ghost too. It's why my name's Danny  _Phantom_ "

Peter had seen too much strangeness in his life to argue. After all, once you reached the point where you have vampires amongst both your foes and allies, you pretty much stop saying the phrase "that's impossible". Instead you shrug it off and respond with a witty observation. In this case:

"The founders were asking for it."

* * *

Danny and Spider-Man swung towards Skuler's position. Strangley he hadn't gotten very far. The first thing Danny noticed was the lcamera bulging out of his armor.

"Thanks for intel, Whelp." He sneered "this was exactly what I needed." He blasted at Danny, however Spidey was quick to act, trapping the suit in a thick coating of webbing.

"So uh, origin story?" asked Spidey

Predictably, Skulker tried to phase through the webbing, but unpredictably he shot Spider-Man, pushing him back rather far.

"Until next time," declared Skulker said, blasting away.

Peter readjusted himself, swinging back towards Danny. "Yeah okay," declared Spidey "he seems like a bad guy."

Below Tucker, Sam, and Jazz watched, all wondering the same thing "What the heck just happened?"

* * *

A trip through the Ghost Zone latter, Skulker emerged through a portal into a Wisconsin Mansion. Only the Green Bay Packers decor stopped it from being the perfect clichéd villain lair. Vlad Plasmius greeted the hunter.

"Ah Skulker. I trust everything went according to plan?" he inquired "Oh and do be mindful of your volume. I have company I'm attending to."

Normally Skulker hunted alone. He didn't do anyone's bidding but his own. But the payment Plasmius and his friend wished to pay was just too great. And after all, was not an enemy of an enemy a friend?

"Yes. You should have gotten it via email already."

"Ah, yes. Now I suppose you want what your payment. Very well, the name you're looking for is,"

Plasmius's friend appeared above him floating on a glider, in full ridiculous but simultaneously frightening costume that matched the green wallpaper.

"Sergei Kravinoff. Kraven the Hunter." he declared with a cackle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been literal years since I updated this. Today is the first update in five years. 
> 
> Cross-posted to its original home on fanfiction.net

Skulker smiled at the laughing, or really more accurately cackling, man in front of him. Plasmius's friend descended on his glider lower to the ground. The green and purple rubber mask he wore would have been almost laughable on anyone else, but for some reason on the man in front of him it inspired something akin to, and Skulker wasn't going to admit this aloud, fear. But still not even the intimidating figure in front of him of him could destroy the feeling of triumph he had at getting his information-uneasiness about the costumed freak giving it aside. Now if only he had a bit more to work with.

"Have you been properly introduced to the famous Green Goblin?"Asked Plasmius, finally getting around to introductions. "I do quite like his color scheme."

Skulker didn't respond. "I appreciate the name you've given me, but if I recall there were two parts to our agreement."

"Well no need to be such a spoil sport about it!" Sing songed the Goblin. "The man you are seeking intel on died four years ago or so-nasty incident involving suicide after successfully impersonating a certain itsy bitsy spider...had him buried alive for days. If only I'd thought of that myself".

"You were allies, then?"

"Of course not! Spidey's my play thing! That idiot Kraven couldn't come up with single plan to catch his precious little 'prey' until the day he did. He's a laughing stock that got lucky! He didn't know how to inflict real pain, how to really destroy someone's heart and soul. All he ever wanted was a petty little human zoo! And in the end he took his 'triumph' which wasn't even a real kill-and offed himself like the sniveling coward he was."

Sulker hoped it wasn't obvious that he was now shifting in extreme discomfort as the masked figure in front of him continued the manic cackling.

"Anyways," he said after sobering up slightly, "I'll sent the death certificate copy and a few news articles on good ole Sergai to your suit. But now, I have ask, what's all this to you?"

"Nothing!" Skulker could hear his voice cracking under pressure.

"Of course not. Why ever would I think that?" The sing song voice made it clear that the Goblin meant it quite sarcastically.

"Well if that will be all...perhaps you should should show yourself out," said Vlad.

Skulker managed a polite "of course" before phasing away. Vlad turned to his companion and smiled, "This is truly the start of a beautiful friendship." The two men took part in a group session of manic laughter.

* * *

"Dude!" exclaimed Tucker. "You actually met Spider-Man. The webslinger himself! That's so awesome!"

"I know, right?" said Danny.

The three members of a ghosting hunting group definitely not called the Ghost Getters sat in Sam's bedroom in her family's mansion. It was a big, spacious room perfect for hanging out in relative peace (assuming Sam' parents didn't burst in).

"What I don't get," said Sam "is why exactly he was here in the first place."

"I don't know, maybe he heard about the film shoot," said Danny with a shrug.

"Yeah because there aren't like a thousand things being filmed in New York at any given time," she said.

"Well okay, fine. Maybe there's some kind of Avenger-y thing and he's undercover. But who cares-I met Spider-Man!"

Sam let out a huff of frustration. "You really thinks that's all there is to this? What about Skulker? That whole thing about the webcam was weird."

"Sam, I totally met Spider-Man; you can rain on my awesome parade later."

Tucker sat on the corner of the bed. "Maybe Sam's right and we can do some recon…"

"We'd have to find Skulker first," Danny pointed out.

Tucker cracked knuckles. "Actually I meant about the film's stars. Maybe the next one won't be hitched." Both of his friends sighed.

He typed the film into IDM and searched.

"Your research skills are astounding," smirked Sam. "It lists the redheaded lady we met earlier today's spouse's name if you click her profile."

Tucker pulled a face, but copy and pasted Mary Jane Watson's husand's name into Google.

"Um guys?" said Tucker. "I think we just found another link in this."

The first search result read  _Peter Parker: The Spider-Man Photographer_ , and was a profile on a photographer with a very particular favorite subject.

"I think the Parkers might know why our friend was town after all…" said Sam.


End file.
